Arrange Greeting Practice Sessions

To work on greeting behaviors, set up practice sessions. To work on how your dog greets you, go in and out of the door four or five times. Ask for a sit on each greeting and reward your dog when he greets you politely.

To work on how your dog greets guests, arrange for a friend to come to your home as a pretend guest. Doorbells and people knocking often serve as triggers that get a dog excited; so with this kind of practice session, you can also work on rewarding your dog for responding more calmly when someone comes to the door.

Train Your Dog To Drop It

It's a good idea to train your dog so he'll let you take something from his mouth. To do this, teach your dog that when he gives something up, he gets something even better.

Start by putting together some treats that your dog really likes. Then give your dog a toy to hold in his mouth. Pick a toy that isn't his favorite, or one that he's been playing with a lot lately (so he's a bit bored with it). When he's holding the toy in his mouth, offer him the treat. Since he can't take the treat with something else in his mouth, chances are pretty good that he'll drop the toy. Say, "Yes," pick up the toy, and give him the treat. Then give him the toy back.

Make sure you always pick the toy up before you give him the treat. That way, he won't learn to take the treat from you and then lunge for the toy again.

And always give him the toy back, too, as you practice this behavior. Doing so shows him that dropping it doesn't mean he's losing. It means he's getting two things: the treat and the toy. After five repetitions, take a break, and repeat a little later.